The Angels were Crying
by tlcroft
Summary: A new hunt challenges John and Sam as a healing Dean falls for an angel named Castiel...


The Angels were Crying

By tlc

Supernatural: AU, OOC, Fragile Dean, Protective Sam, Protective John, Omega Castiel, Omega Dean, Mention/description of rape/underage non-con.

Rating: M

Author's notes: This is AU for a reason; it explores the aftermath of what happened when Dean was badly hurt because of something his father did. John did the right thing but the consequences to Dean were devastating.

Sam shook his hand as he looked up from his laptop. Four hours of steady typing in the front seat of the Impala had made his right cramp up but he was nearly finished.

"How's the term paper coming?" John Winchester asked his youngest son as he glanced at the Rand Mcnally atlas open on the seat between them. Even with all the traveling they had done since Mary's death, they had never been in West Texas and needed the help to find Bitter Creek.

"Just the citations left," Sam admitted, saving the paper before powering down his computer. No use doing any more work on it; the cramp just wouldn't let up. "I'm more worried about finals next week"

"One way or another, we'll get you there," John promised, turning right at the crossroad. "If I have to I'll buy you a bus ticket and call Bobby. You've worked too hard for this scholarship." He glanced at the back seat where Dean slept uneasily under one of Missouri Mosley's thick 'snuggum" quilts. "I just wish Dean had the same opportunities."

Sam blinked back tears, hearing his father's in his rough voice. Ever since Dean had been attacked that long ago summer, his older brother had lived in a cocoon of pain and sorrow; unable to fully connect with the world around him. What those bastard hunters had done to him had shattered his brother emotionally as well as physically.

"Here we go," his father said as a Motel 6 came into view. "Want to check us in?"

Sam took the offered credit card, checking the name as he walked to the lobby. Minutes later he was back with their room keys, directing his dad to the room at the very end. Grabbing a duffel bag out of the trunk, he went in first and quickly laid down salt lines and basic wards before heading back out to grab a suitcase.

John opened the back door of the Impala, gently shaking Dean's leg. Legs were for 'safe' waking, shaking his shoulder would have Dean immediately ready to defend himself. "Ready to come inside, baby boy?"

Groggily Dean nodded, climbing out of the car, the quilt trailing behind him. John grabbed a duffel bag out of the open trunk and followed him in, guiding his oldest to the bed farthest from the door. Dean willingly laid back down, watching his father and brother lay out their bags for use, set up their laptops for work, and check the kitchenette out.

"Adequate," John decided, "but we need to go shopping. Dean, will you be alright here alone?'

Dean nodded, displaying the small .38 automatic he kept holstered behind his right hip, then made shooing motions at his father and brother.

"Lock the door behind us, jerk," Sam smiled, glad his brother was functional for the moment. Too many times Dean had not been capable of looking after himself; maybe he was finally recovering.

# # # # #

Castiel watched the Impala pull out of the parking lot before fully manifesting himself. Certain that John and Sam would be some time, he went to the door of the last room and knocked.

Dean smiled as he opened the door. "Cas,"he mouthed, pulling the young angel into the room and locking the door before he kissed him. Cas returned the kiss just as deeply, gently guiding Dean to the bed as he shrugged off his trench coat. Together they stretched out, exchanging gentle caresses and deep kisses. As much as they had come to love each other, they were well aware of the limits they needed to respect. Cas let his hand rest on Dean's belly, sending a gentle wave of energy through the Omega, healing more of his damaged womb. Losing his child so young had left Dean so scarred inside that one healing session alone or even several, could not undo the damage. Dean wanted a child so badly that Cas could not deny his charge the healing or, eventually, the baby he so desperately needed.

Finally Dean laid his head against Cas's chest, the familiar beating of his lover's heart soothing him to sleep. Equally sleepy despite his God-given resilience, Cas soon drifted off in spite of his need to keep watch.

# # # # #

"Ahem," the noisy throat clearing above them brought Dean and Cas awake with a jolt. "Just who the hell are you and what are you doing in bed with my son?" John Winchester demanded, hands on his hips as he watched Cas, already in full protective father mode. Behind him, Sam glared at the young angel, so fiercely protective of his Omega brother that it seemed Dean was the younger of the two. And Cas found himself agreeing with his much older brother, Gabriel, that one of the world's scariest sights was a pissed of Winchester.

"Daddy, please don't scare Cas," Dean begged in the near whisper that was the only voice he had left after what the hunters had done to him. "He's my mate."

"Your mate?"John repeated, dropping down onto the end of the bed. "When the hell did this happen?"

"We were destined to be mates," Cas answered so matter of factly that John and Sam were taken aback. "Dean is my charge; it's my Father's will that brought us together."

John's eyes narrowed at Cas's words, suspicion rolling off of him. "What are you?"

"An angel of the Lord," was his matter of fact reply.

"Cristo," John and Sam snapped in unison.

Cas frowned, tilting his head in an oddly bird like gesture. "Why do you call me by my Father's name?"

"Your father's name?" John repeated stupidly.

"Yes."

"Daddy, Cas is an angel, who else would his father be but God," Dean cut in, knowing that Cas couldn't adequately explain what he meant he was so used to how things were. "Please like him; Cas is gentle with me."

John closed his eyes, unable to hold back the memories of that long ago, bitterly painful night...

# # # # #

"Leave him alone!" Sammy screamed as the big hunter's fist slammed into John's broken ribs once more. John hardly grunted, barely conscious. He could hear his two boys fighting the men holding them, trying to get away as three of their pals beat up their father.

"You little shit!" one of them cursed, tearing Dean's shirt as he pulled him back. "Like to kill you for that stunt."

"Well, what have we here?" the ringleader grinned, pulling the torn cloth away from Dean's left shoulder to reveal the butterfly shaped birthmark that identified him as an Omega. "Oh, the fun we're going to have now and that fucking Winchester can't stop us." Still grinning, he palmed Dean's left breast, cruelly squeezing the tiny swell. "Strip him and get him up on the hood."

Smiling in anticipation, two hunters cut away Dean's clothes, displaying his still immature body. The ringleader spread Dean's legs, running his hands down the virgin Omega, enjoying his attempts to get away. "Not going to be that easy, pretty boy." And he thrust himself hard into Dean's secret place, making the young hunter scream.

Sammy screamed too, redoubling his attempts to get away and save his brother. John also fought the man holding him, trying to protect his boy. But it was no use; neither one could escape as one by one the hunters raped his son, interspersed with slamming a fist or a foot into John's body. Soon Dean could only moan as another man forced himself into the teenager's body. It wasn't fair; Dean hadn't even started his cycles...

Sammy had stopped screaming; John though that shock was starting to affect his youngest. But one of the men's cursing proved that false.

"You let him get away! Are you an idiot? What if he goes to the cops?"

"I thought he passed out! How was I to know he was faking it?"

"That's the whole problem —you tried to think, moron!" And John passed out to the sound of approaching sirens...

# # # #

The hospital was eerily quiet as John sat by Dean's bed, holding his oldest's hand. Sammy was asleep in the other chair, exhausted by the long night behind them. The doctor had just left after explaining Dean's injuries and asking once again if John wanted painkillers. John had refused, wanting to remain lucid as long as one of those sorry sonofabitches remained at large. The police were good here in Willowood but John wasn't going to depend on just their protection.

Vaginal scarring, bad enough that Dean might never be able to accept penetration. Perforated cervix, bad enough to possibly prevent Dean from carrying a pregnancy to term. Bruising and contusions that would mark his fair skin for weeks. Vocal cords damaged by screaming and deep repeated penetration that would prevent him from ever speaking much louder than a whisper. No broken bones but the damage to his body was bad enough; John didn't want to think about the damage to Dean's mind. In just a few hours everything had changed.

# # # # #

"Damn it, Dean! How can you trust this guy? We don't KNOW HIM!" Sam practically screamed as he paced the small area at the foot of the twin beds.

"I know him," Dean answered softly. "Cas won't hurt me."

"You don't KNOW that! You can't!"

"Sammy!" John snapped, and his younger son wilted. "I'm sorry, Cas, but this is a lot to adjust to. Could you leave us for a while?"

"I understand," Cas bowed his head in acknowledgment of John's request, then gave Dean a quick kiss. He elected to leave by the door instead of just flying away but Sam grabbed his arm as he turned the knob.

"If you ever hurt my brother I'll hunt you," the young hunter hissed only to be slammed up against the wall.

"If you even think of hurting Dean, I shall smite you," the young angel growled, his arm against the taller man's throat. Sam gasped as Cas took flight, freeing him. To the three Winchesters, it looked like he had disappeared.

# # # #

Anna was waiting for her youngest brother when he finally returned to his garrison. Castiel looked bewildered and angry as she took him in her arms, soothing his raw nerves. "How did it go with Dean today?"

"I fell asleep and was caught by John and Sam Winchester," he confessed sheepishly. "Sam threatened to hunt me if I hurt Dean. John just asked me to leave until they sorted out a few things."

"That's good," Anna soothed him, gently rubbing his shoulders. It hurt to know that Castiel was so very vulnerable. He had been so young when Ural had abused him...Maybe Father was right; maybe it was better that he never remembered Ural and what he had done to him. "Just give them time; it is something of a shock to find your Omega son involved with an Omega angel."

"True," Castiel smiled briefly, pulling slightly away from his sister—if sister she was. Like all true angels, Castiel had no real knowledge of his parentage; just that they were also angels. "I think I need to be alone for a while."

Anna nodded, stroking the side of his face gently before she let him go. Castiel smiled at her and went to his private place, closing it off to the others. Though not as intense as when he was alone, the dreams had still come while he laid with Dean, frightening him. Castiel had not told his brothers and sisters about these dreams; he didn't know why. He just felt that he had to keep them private.

He shuddered, remembering only too well what happened in the dreams, how real they seemed. The unknown angel holding him down, the pain between his legs, the blood staining his thighs. It was too close to what Dean had gone through for Castiel's comfort and he folded in on himself, weeping.

# # # #

"How could you trust him, Dean?" Sam demanded, staring down at this brother. "We don't know what he is!"

"He's my mate and an angel-" Dean began only to be interrupted by their father.

"Did you know that Castiel is also an Omega?" John asked quietly, cutting Sam off with a motion of his hand.

"Yes, daddy, I knew,"Dean answered, looking down. "Cas has always been honest with me."

"How could you know that?"Sam shot back, pacing once again. "He's not human; you can't trust him to tell you the truth."

"I know in my soul that he's telling me the truth," Dean said as loud as he could. "He's my soulmate, Sam. I—I love him. I love him," he repeated, hugging his arms tight to his chest, nearly crying because his only brother didn't trust his judgment.

"Well, at least he isn't a demon," John commented, cutting off the argument. "If he's an angel or not is yet to be seen. And don't you start, Sam. Your judgment when it comes to women isn't exactly great." He gave his younger son a stern look. "Ruby turned out to be a demon, remember?"

Sam blushed, looking down and managing to look like a kicked puppy, which wasn't easy at six foot six.

His father wasn't buying it. "Stop that right now and start researching angels. We will figure this out, we just need more information." He turned back to his older son. "Are you hungry, Dean?"

The smaller blond shook his head, curling up on the bed. Gently, John stroked Dean's short hair, soothing his son as best he could. Barely fifteen when the rapes occurred, Dean's oncoming first heat had ended in pregnancy, then the loss of his unborn child. John mourned the loss of his grandchild as much as he mourned his murdered wife, knowing that much of Dean's pain was due to the miscarriage. Cas's attentions were slowly pulling Dean out of his sorrow and terror and for that, John would always be grateful to him. Now if they only knew what Cas was...

# # # # #

Hours later, John closed the book proported to be on angels that he'd borrowed from Bobby Singer the last time he'd been in South Dakota, and stretched. Nothing in it really matched up with what Cas had shown them but the volume seemed to be a patchwork of older sources copied without regard for how true they were or even if they fit together. God only knew if the translation was in any way even close to accurate.

"I give up," Sam leaned back from his laptop, throwing his pencil on the notes he'd taken. "Nothing here makes any sense. Lore about angels is all over the place. What about that book you borrowed from Uncle Bobby?"

"It's about as much help as it was in Miller's Crossing," John admitted. "At least what we know about Castiel fits with the angel ID. I just wish there was more out there specifically about angels." He glanced towards the bed where Dean laid dozing. "Are you ever going to finish that term paper?"

Sam yelped, dragging the computer over to him. "I forgot!"

John just chuckled as Sam began frantically typing...

# # # # #

Three days later they were no closer to finding answers on either what exactly Castiel was or what was going on in Bitter Creek. John was about ready to hand the hunt over to Caleb or Rufus and drive Sam to Stanford. They also hadn't seen the supposed angel since that first day but sometimes Dean would smile and move as though he was cuddling into someone's embrace. John didn't say anything to Sam but he wondered if Castiel was there and they just couldn't see him.

"I swear, Sammy, if I have to plow through microfilche archives one more time I'll shoot something," he groaned as he opened the door to their motel room, Sam on his heels. To his surprise, Dean was in the little kitchenette, stirring something on the stove as Castiel sat at the table, sipping coffee. "You cooked dinner, baby boy?"

"Yeah, I wanted to," Dean ducked his head, blushing. "The mac n' cheese should be done soon."

"Good, I'm hungry." He gave Castiel a genial nod as he poured himself a cup of coffee, taking a seat at the little table. "Haven't seen you in a few days."

"I wasn't sure I would be welcome," Castiel admitted, setting the cup down as Sam sat down at the breakfast bar dividing the kitchenette from the rest of the room. For once, he seemed to be in a calm mood.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're more than welcome," John smiled, sipping coffee. Sam frowned but said nothing. Dean smiled, relieved that his father at least accepted Cas. "Dean, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Daddy." Frowning, Dean followed his father outside. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

John sighed heavily, hating what he had to ask. "Dean, have you had sex with Castiel?"

"No, Daddy, we've never done much more than kissing and making out. Why?"

"I needed to be sure." John stopped his son from opening the door. "Dean, why haven't you?"

"I don't know; we just haven't yet. Cas is a little shy about being touched."

John frowned, struck by a sudden thought. Had Cas gone through something similar to what had happened to Dean? But who could have assaulted an angel—except another angel? "Dean, has Cas ever talked to you about the other angels?"

"A few times," Dean admitted, puzzled. "He mentions Anna a lot; she seems to take care of him some. And a Gabriel."

"But nothing about the angels in general?"

"No, Daddy, but-"

"But what, Dean?"

His son hesitated for a moment. "Cas has nightmares, Daddy. And he won't tell me what they are about."

John bit his lip, thinking. "Did Cas ever tell you how old he is?"

"No, but he's the youngest in his garrison."

Cas was younger than the rest of his garrison, perhaps Heaven's youngest angel. And possibly attacked like Dean had been, was an Omega like Dean. Oh, God, please, don't let him have lost a child as well. But John had never believed in coincidence. His son's past and his lover's were just too close. "We better go back in."

Sam and Cas looked up from Sam's laptop as the other two came in. "Hey, Dad, Cas found something on what's going here in Bitter Creek."

"Whadya find?" John came over to look over his son's shoulder.

"This burn pattern comes from a nephilim," Cas explained, pointing to the dead grass under the body in the police photo. "They are not angels per se, but the offspring of an angel and a human. Most of the Host consider them abominations."

"Giants."

"Excuse me?" Sam looked up at his father, confused.

"The first nephilim were the children of Adam's daughters and angels who desired them," John explained. "They were more commonly referred to as giants."

Cas nodded. "Most died fighting Heaven but a few survived. One of those was Goliath."

"Whom David killed with a slingshot," Sam finished, understanding what his father and Cas were getting at. "Is it one of the originals or a descendant?"

"No way to tell at this point," John sighed, "We need more information."

"Supper's ready," Dean called and the three left the computer for the buffet he had set out on the counter.

# # # # #

Hours later John looked up from his laptop to find Sam nodding off over his own computer and Dean and Cas had fallen asleep while cuddling on one of the beds. More and more he was convinced that Cas was actually an angel. He just wished there was more information out there on angels.

Cas jerked up abruptly, crying out. Dean sat up too, clutching his arm. "Cas?"

"I'm alright, love," Cas reassured him, stroking back Dean's short blond hair. "It was just a dream."

"Not the way you're shaking,"Dean denied, shaking badly himself. "Please, tell me what you were dreaming."

"I...I'm not sure. I dreamed about someone touching me...making me bleed...between my legs. A man...an angel... I don't know." Cas looked bewildered, almost frightened. John didn't like his description of the dream; it sounded more like a memory.

Now awake, Sam looked between his brother and his angel, frowning as he tried tried to put the pieces together.

"Cas, have you had this dream before?" John kept his voice low and unthreatening with an effort.

"Yes," the angel answered hesitantly. "At least, I think it's the same dream. It's always the same man...angel hurting me." Now John was even more sure Cas was remembering something that had happened—just not all of it. He needed more information – and he knew exactly where to get it. He just had to figure out how...

# # # # #

"All right, I got it, Thank you, Jim." John finished scribbling down what Pastor Jim told him, clicking off his phone as Sam and Dean came in the door carrying groceries. "Got everything, boys?"

"I think so, Daddy," Dean answered, starting to put away meat and vegetables.

"Good." John glanced back at his younger son. "You all packed, Sammy?"

"I'm good, Dad." Sam slung the strap of his computer bag over his shoulder. "Let's get going."

"You going to be all right here alone for a while, Dean?" John looked over to his older son as he grabbed his car keys.

"I'll be fine, Daddy." Dean assured him, putting his handgun on the counter. "Cas is coming; he'll probably show up just after you leave," and he grinned. "We haven't been alone much lately."

John grinned back, glad that Dean was becoming more independent. It had been a long time coming. "Now, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Now that leaves everything wide open," Sam grinned as he went out the door. Dean's thrown can of beans hit the door just behind him.

# # # # #

John sighed as he straightened up, his back cracking. God, he hurt but the sigals were done. Now to do the summoning. Quickly he set the bowl of frankinsence, myhrr, and sanctified wine in the exact center of the protective circle, pricked his ring finger to get the required seven drops of blood, and set the contents of the bowl alight. In seconds two figures were in the circle with him, a man and a woman. The short blond haired man looked a little pissed but not surprised while the woman just regarded him serenely.

Thank you for coming," John said formally. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

The man cocked his head to one side in a gesture painfully remenicent of Cas.. "This has to be about my baby brother, Castiel."

"You're right," John admitted. "The thing is, Cas is having dreams that sound more like repressed memories—and they're painfully close to what happened to my boy. What do you know?"

The two looked at each other, dismayed. "I had no idea that Cassie was having nightmares," the man said slowly. "He has to be remembering things."

"Blessed Father, he's been hiding this all this time," the woman whispered. "Our poor brother."

"A long time ago, Cassie was attacked...sexually...by one of our brothers. It only happened once but Cassie was...virgin...just barely old enough to conceive."

"And he did," John finished when the other man's words trailed off.

"He was frightened," the woman said softly. "Our Father tried to help him but Castiel grew so sick and the baby inside him died. Afterwards, our Father surpressed Castiel's memories of the assault and the baby so he could heal. We thought he had, and when he fell in love with Dean, we were so glad that he was happy. But this...if he's remembering, what is it going to do to him and Dean and what they have?" "I have no idea," John admitted. "But Dean is finally healing from his rape and he's becoming happier every day. Perhaps it's time for Dean to learn that he's not alone."

"Why are you in town anyway?" the man asked.

"A whole bunch of what looks like spontainious human combustion," John answered with a deep sigh. "The only real clue I have is that the burn pattern on the last one looks like a nephilim. Cas was the one who spotted it."

The man smiled sadly. "Cassie always was good at spotting patterns, solving mysteries. I've always encouraged him to keep at it, to solve the problem." He grew somber. "He could be a help to you—if you let him."

"If he wants to; I won't force him," John warned him. "Whatever he does, he does of his own free will."

The man stiffened abruptly and the woman turned towards him. "Gabriel, what's wrong?"

"Cassie's in trouble, Anna," Gabriel growled and grabbed John's arm just before he took off, his sister right behind him.

# # # # #

Dean smiled as Cas sat down at the table, coffee cup in hand. "Hey, lover, missed you."

"I missed you too, Dean." Cas smiled as Dean leaned over to kiss him. The kiss deepened as they moved to the bed, their hands exploring each other's bodies. It was so familiar and yet so new as Dean helped Cas out of his coat and suit, then Cas gently stripped away Dean's shirt and jeans. Clad only in their underwear (and Dean had to suppress a laugh at the thought of an angel even needing underwear), they stretched out on the bed, exploring each other's bodies. Dean moaned as Cas sucked gently at a sensitive nipple, his broad hands stroking the angel's back. Soon they were nude, and Cas positioned himself between Dean's spread legs, gently entering his young love for the first time. Dean gasped, tensing up against expected pain, then relaxed as it didn't come. Cas began thrusting gently, Dean soon moving under him as his pleasure grew. Soon Castiel stiffened, spilling his seed into his lover's womb as Dean moaned and jerked his way through his first orgasm.

"Blasphemy!" The screech hurt their ears as much as the sudden blinding light hurt their eyes. Cas flared his wings, covering his lover as the nephilim lunged towards them, snarling.

"Hold it right there!" John Winchester's voice cut through the air, stopping the nephilim in it's tracks as Gabriel and Anna flared their own wings out, covering John as he aimed a Desert Eagle at the center of the nephilim's mass. Mouthing curses, the nephilim changed course, rushing John and ignoring the two angels as though it couldn't see them.

Gabriel stepped in front of John, pulling a short sword out of what seemed like nowhere, and stabbed the nephilim dead center. It stiffened, gasping, as it stared at Gabriel before slumping to the floor.

"God," Dean whispered as the nephilim flared bright white and slowly collaped into ash.

# # # # #

Gabriel smiled as John loaded two duffel bags into the trunk of the Impala, a sucker in his mouth. "So, it was the nephilim all along.

"Yep,"John answered as Dean and Cas came out of the room carrying more bags. "He was deeply religious and going after anyone he found to be a sinner. And his definition of sinner was skewed compared to everyone else's." He sighed deeply. "All those lives lost because of one being's definition of right and wrong. I guess that's why I've never benn particularly religious."

"Actually, you are a deeply religious man, John," Cas said quietly as he packed the two bags he held into the trunk, then reached for Dean's two. "You just do not follow any religion's dictates."

John shrugged. "It just seems to me that it's all a bunch of petty sh- , uh, stuff." He frowned at the unfamiliar bag Castiel was fitting in beside Dean's. "Where did that come from?"

"Ah, it's mine," Cas admitted with a slight blush. "That is, if you don't mind...?"

"I don't mind," John reassured the young angel and his son before looking over at Gabriel. "That is, if your brothers don't mind?"

Gabriel absently chewed the soggy stem of his sucker as he watched Dean, his gaze going deeper than the young hunter realized. "No...I think it's a good idea. Just remember to keep in touch, Cassie."

Castiel looked sharply at his brother but nodded as John slammed the trunk shut and headed for the driver's door. Dean grabbed Cas's hand and pulled him into the back seat, then kissing him. John smiled as he pulled out of the parking lot, just enjoying having his oldest back. It had been so long...

THE END


End file.
